For the past six years, Episcopal High School has hosted the Northern Virginia Championship Track Meet for the Special Olympics. On April 26, nearly 300 athletes participated in various track events on campus, including the 100, 200, and 400 meter races, long jump, high jump, and shot-put.
The Special Olympics has become a global movement in the past 40 years, encompassing more than 2.5 million athletes from 180 different countries. Its mission is to give those with intellectual challenges the opportunity to benefit from sports training and competition.
“(The Special Olympics) is all about creating a positive environment for the athletes to compete,” said Visual Arts teacher David Douglas, whose son Max Douglas is a Special Olympics athlete. “Episcopal does a great job at making the event itself very festive.”
Episcopal students volunteered to be “buddies” for the day, escorting athletes to events and cheering them on. Many students say they bonded with their athletes in the course of the day.
“The most rewarding part of being a buddy was watching my buddy athlete receive her ribbons at the awards ceremony,” said Martha Perez-Sanz '10. “She was an amazing athlete, and while I knew she accomplished her victories all by herself, it felt good to know that I was cheering her on the whole way to the finish line.” |
